Receptacle-mounted cover plate to hide electrical socket face

ABSTRACT

An easily-installed cover plate for hiding the face of sockets by covering an electrical outlet, including the face of the sockets. The cover plate is mounted over the receptacle and has apertures for plug blades. In the preferred embodiment, the cover plate is rectangularly shaped to cover a duplex receptacle, having apertures to receive plug blades, a center hole for receiving a screw which secures the cover plate over the duplex receptacle and a thickness at the apertures for receiving plug blades of not more than 0.075 inches.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is continuation-in-part of patent application byShotey, et al. entitled “RECEPTACLE-MOUNTED COVER PLATE TO HIDEELECTRICAL SOCKET FACE,” Ser. No. 10/853,925, filed on May 25, 2004,which is a continuation of patent application by Shotey, et al. entitled“RECEPTACLE-MOUNTED COVER PLATE TO HIDE ELECTRICAL SOCKET FACE”, Ser.No. 10/283,586, filed Oct. 29, 2002 and issued on Jul. 13, 2004 as U.S.Pat. No. 6,761,582, which is a continuation of patent application byShotey et al. entitled “RECEPTACLE-MOUNTED COVER PLATE TO HIDEELECTRICAL SOCKET FACE”, Ser. No. 09/351,761, filed Jul. 12, 1999 andissued on Jan. 28, 2003 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,343, which is acontinuation of patent application by Shotey, et al. entitled“RECEPTACLE-MOUNTED COVER PLATE TO HIDE ELECTRICAL SOCKET FACE,” Ser.No. 08/775,382, filed Dec. 30, 1996 and issued on Oct. 12, 1999 as U.S.Pat. No. 5,965,846, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The application currently being filed is a reissue continuationapplication, meaning it is a continuation of reissue application Ser.No. 15/656,602 filed Jul. 21, 2017 and is also a reissue of U.S. Pat.No. 6,977,342.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field This invention relates generally to cover plates forelectrical outlets and more particularly to a simplified means to coverthe face of unattractive electrical sockets and thereby make the outletmore aesthetically pleasing while maintaining proper functionality.

2. Background Art

Conventional electrical outlets are made of several components,including a wall box and a receptacle, which is typically composed ofpairs of sockets and a yoke. The receptacle is typically attached to thewall box that is typically attached to a framing member inside the wall,and is accessible through a hole cut in the wall. A cover plate havingapertures to allow the sockets to protrude is installed over thesecomponents, typically with one or two screws. Electrical devices areplugged in by inserting the plug blades through aligned apertures in thecover plate and socket.

A cover plate is installed after construction. It is common practice toremove the cover plate during remodeling or redecorating so that it doesnot become damaged or defaced with paint drips and splatters, wallpaperpaste, or other decorating materials. The conventional cover plate iseasily removed by unscrewing the screw or screws that attach it directlyto the receptacle. However, the receptacle is not usually removed duringremodeling or redecorating because it is hard-wired into the building'selectrical system. Consequently, the receptacle and sockets are leftexposed and the face of the sockets become covered with paint splattersand the like. If not cleaned immediately, the face becomes permanentlydefaced, thereby making the electrical outlet more unsightly andconspicuous. Repeated paintings only make the problem worse.Reinstalling the cover plate then emphasize the paint-splattered surfaceof the outlet, as the defaced socket surface is compared to the pristinesurface of the cover plate.

Cover plates are available in a variety of colors, decorator texturesand even covered with wallpaper to match the wall. However, theunderlying receptacles and cover plates are made in standard colors,usually beige and dark brown, and unfortunately do not match manydecorative cover plates. Because most cover plates allow the face of thesockets to be exposed, such mismatched sockets and cover plates causethe outlets to be more conspicuous. It is desirable, then, to provide acover plate that can be installed over existing receptacles that coversnot only the wall box assembly, but the face of the sockets, too, inorder to make the outlet less conspicuous and more attractive.

Decorative cover plates known in the art attempt to make outlets moreattractive by attaching a new cover plate to existing cover plates. Forexample, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,784,277 Darlington describes an ornamentalcover for a light switch manufacturable in many colors. The cover is amultilayer pad of adhesively-backed sheets which is adhesively attachedto the existing cover plate. When desired, a decorative sheet may beremoved, exposing a new sheet. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,458, Stewartdescribes a fabric slipcover for an existing cover plate. In U.S. Pat.No. 3,840,692 Wells describes an outsized cover plate that is screwedover an existing cover plate. Because these decorative cover platesoverlay the existing cover plate, these inventions result in a coverthat projects farther from the wall than the original cover plate,thereby making the outlet even more noticeable.

More complex devices have been invented to achieve an aestheticallypleasing electrical outlet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,886 issuedto Dierenbach describes an entire wall box assembly to provide anattractive designer-style appearance. The decorative appearance isachieved with the use of a multi-component cover plate requiring aplurality of attachment means to secure the components in place.

The prior art also describes removable paint shields to protect thesockets and cover plates during painting. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,128Grondin describes a cover that removably adheres to an existing coverplate of an electrical outlet so that the electrical elements areprotected during painting. The device completely covers the receptaclessuch that a plug may not be inserted. Gilchrist describes a paint shieldin U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,014 that also covers all exposed surfaces of anelectrical outlet. The shield is temporarily attached using suction ofadhesives, or with prongs that fit snugly in the socket apertures. Whilethese devices do protect the outlets if installed before painting, theydo not remedy the situation where the sockets are already defaced.Similarly, these covers do not provide a means for making the outletsmore attractive.

Other patents describe inventions that replace existing cover plates toimprove safety of the outlet. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,042 Klingerdescribes a decorative safety cover plate that replaces the existingplate. This invention comprises a base plate and a decorative face platethat slides between a closed position where the sockets are occluded,and an open position where the sockets are exposed. Barla describes asafety cover plate in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,426 that replaces the existingcover plate. The plate has manually positionable shutters to occlude theentire socket so that plugs may not be inserted. While improving safety,these devices are multi-component parts that are relatively expensive,more difficult to install than a conventional cover plate, and prone tobreaking. They also suffer the same problem as the known decorativecover plates: they project farther from the wall than the original coverplate, thereby making the outlet even more noticeable.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,846 to Shotey et al., from which this patent is acontinuation-in-part, a cover plate is disclosed having a thickness of0.080 inches or greater. Cover plates according to this invention withthicknesses of 0.080 inches or greater have been sold. However, it doesnot teach the use of a cover plate with a thickness less than 0.080inches.

Accordingly what is needed is a cover plate to cover the socket face ofunattractive electrical receptacles and thereby make the receptacle lessnoticeable while maintaining proper functionality of electrical devicesplugged into the covered socket.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a simple, easily-installed cover plate thathides the face of sockets by covering an electrical outlet, includingthe face of the sockets. In particular embodiments, the cover plate maycomprise a plurality of plug blade apertures, a front surface, one ormore thinned regions on the front surface, and a back surface regionthat contacts the socket face.

The back surface region may be substantially flat to seat against theinsulative socket face. In particular embodiments, the cover plate alsocomprises an alignment structure to align the plurality of plug bladeapertures on the cover plate with the plug blade apertures on the socketface. The alignment is particularly useful in obtaining proper seatingof the back surface region against the insulative socket face.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the thinned areas may beof various shapes, including, but not limited to a duplex shape and adecora shape and may be formed using protrusions from the front surfaceor grooves in the front surface.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from the following more detailed description of theparticular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a cover plate with one securing aperture;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a decora cover plate with one securingaperture;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a duplex cover plate with one securingaperture;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a cover plate with two securing apertures;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a decora cover plate with two securingapertures;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a duplex cover plate with two securingapertures;

FIG. 7 is a back view of a cover plate with two truncated circlerecesses and one securing aperture;

FIG. 8 is a back view of a cover plate with two rectangular recesses andone securing aperture;

FIG. 9 is a back view of a cover plate with one rectangular recess andtwo securing apertures;

FIG. 10 is a back view of a cover plate with two securing apertures;

FIG. 11 is a section view of a cover plate taken along line 11-11 ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 12 is a section view of a decora cover plate taken along line 12-12of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 13 is a section view of a duplex cover plate taken along line 13-13of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 14 is a section view of a cover plate with two securing aperturestaken along line 14-14 of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 15 is a section view of a decora cover plate with two securingapertures taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 16 is a section view of a duplex cover plate with two securingapertures taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 6 ; and

FIG. 17 is a section view of a cover plate taken along line 17-17 ofFIG. 1 .

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-6 , embodiments of the invention are illustrated.FIG. 1 shows cover plate 20 having a flat face with a set of apertures22 for plug blades and a securing aperture 24. FIG. 2 shows cover plate30 having a decora face 32 with a set of apertures 22 for plug bladesand a securing aperture 24. FIG. 3 shows cover plate 40 having a facewith a duplex shape 42 with a set of apertures 22 for plug blades and asecuring aperture 24. FIG. 4 shows cover plate 50 having a flat facewith a set of apertures 22 for plug blades and top and bottom securingapertures 52 and 54. FIG. 5 shows cover plate 60 having a face with adecora groove 62 with a set of apertures 22 for plug blades and top andbottom securing apertures 52 and 54. FIG. 6 shows cover plate 70 havinga face with duplex shaped grooves 72 with a set of apertures 22 for plugblades and top and bottom securing apertures 52 and 54. It will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that a duplex face orduplex socket face are those typically used wherein there are two setsof plug blade apertures located on two truncated circle shapedinsulative socket faces. Also, the securing apertures may be adaptablesuch that each of the cover plates, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 may haveone or two securing apertures depending on the type of electrical outletto be covered. The shape placed on the front surface of the cover plate,either by using grooves or protrusions, aids in the visual quality ofthe cover plate.

In embodiments of the present invention, the cover plate is specificallydesigned to cover the socket faces of the receptacle so there are nosocket face apertures in the cover plate. For example and referring toFIGS. 7-10 , the cover plate is adapted to receive the face of thesocket against the reverse side or the back of the cover plate. In FIG.7 , a set of truncated circle shaped recesses 80 may receive a duplexsocket face, while maintaining proper alignment of the apertures 22 forplug blades and the securing aperture 24. FIG. 8 shows the use ofrectangular recesses 82 for receiving the socket face and aligningapertures 22 for plug blades and securing aperture 24. FIG. 9 uses arectangular shaped recess 84 for receiving decora shaped socket facesand creating proper alignment of the apertures 22 for plug blades andsecuring apertures 52 and 54. Finally, as seen in FIG. 10 a flat surfaceback 86 may be used to cover any type of socket with alignment of theapertures 22 obtained by use of securing apertures 52 and 54. Thevarious front cover types 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70, as seen in FIGS.1-6 , may be used in conjunction with each type of reverse sideconfiguration as shown in FIGS. 7-10 in order to obtain the look for thetype of front surface desired while maintaining the ability to fit thesocket face being covered. It will be understood that the specificembodiments illustrated in the figures are for exemplary purposes onlyand the present invention may be formed to have many various shapes,looks and textures on the front surface while altering the reverse sideto fit any type of outlet socket face.

While the shape of the recessed, thinned areas need not coincide withthe shape of the socket, the recessed, thinned areas can be manufacturedto match the shape of the socket face. The cover plate is stronger andmore durable with smaller thinned areas, however. With the more durableembodiment of the cover plate, the cover plate can also protect thereceptacle from damage due to rough handling. For example, if a pluginserted into an outlet with a conventional cover plate is yanked out ofthe wall sideways, that is, substantially parallel to the wall, theforces applied to the sockets can cause the receptacle to be jarredloose or to crack. A cover plate of the present invention can helpprotect the receptacle because as the plug is pulled sideways from anoutlet having the present cover plate, the applied forces in part act onthe cover plate, reducing or eliminating the forces on the receptacle.Additionally, as areas of the cover plate are thinned, there is avisible slight variation in the cover plate at the thinned areas.Separating the thinned area by use of grooves or protrusions separatesthe visible distinction of the thinned area from the rest of the coverplate, rendering the differentiation more inconspicuous.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-16 , section views of the preferred embodimentcover plates 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 respectively are shown. In FIG.11 , the cover plate 20 has a flat face and a back with truncated circleshaped recesses 80 and a securing aperture 24 to match the shape of aconventional duplex socket face. Flanges 26 surround the securingaperture 24 and are used for alignment of the apertures for plug bladeslocated through the truncated circle shaped recesses 80. FIG. 12 shows acover plate 30 with a decora protrusion face 32 and rectangular recesses82 on the back of the cover plate 30. Flanges 26 surround the securingaperture 24 and are used for alignment of the apertures for plug bladeslocated through the rectangular recesses 82. Looking at FIG. 13 , acover plate 40 with a duplex face 42 has square recesses 82 on the backof the cover plate 40. Flanges 26 surround the securing aperture 24 andare used for alignment of the apertures for plug blades located throughthe square recesses 82. In FIG. 14 , the cover plate 50 with a flat facehas a flat surface back 86. The securing apertures 52 and 54 are usedfor alignment of the apertures for plug blades located through the coverplate 50. FIG. 15 shows a cover plate 60 with a decora groove 62 of theface and decora recesses 84 on the back of the cover plate 60. Thesecuring apertures 52 and 54 are used for alignment of the apertures forplug blades located through the cover plate 60. Looking at FIG. 16 , acover plate 70 with duplex grooves 72 on the face has a set of truncatedcircle shaped recesses 80 on the back of the cover plate 70. Thesecuring apertures 52 and 54 are used for alignment of the apertures forplug blades located through the cover plate 50. It will be understoodthat any combination of faces, reverse sides (with the various recessesor a flat surface) and securing apertures may be utilized to form acover plate with the desired design and proper functionality.

Also shown in FIGS. 11-16 is a thickness 88. For the exemplary purposesof this disclosure, the thickness 88 of the cover plates in the portionscovering the socket faces are not more than 0.075 inches. The thickness88 is located at the apertures 22 for the plug blades as seen in FIGS.1-10 . The thickness 88 may be of various shapes and sizes, so long asthe thickness 88 does not exceed a maximum thickness of 0.075 inches.This area is the area through which plug blades are inserted andprovides the point of electrical contact for a corded plug in thereceptacle. This small thickness allows the plug blades to be inserteddeeper into the plug blade apertures of the receptacle despite theinsulative plug cover layer extending over the socket face.Additionally, a plane defined in part by one or more regions of thefront surface with thickness 88, whereby the plane extends parallel tothe cover plate, may serve as a boundary through which no portion of thefront surface of the cover plate may extend beyond.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have the thickness 88within the range of not more than 0.075 inches. It has been found thatthe conventional thickness of 0.080 inches and larger causes concernamong some that sufficient contact will not be made by the plug prongsinto the socket. Reduction of the thickness 88 to less than 0.075inches, and more particularly to a range of 0.020-0.075 inches, permitsthe plug prongs to extend more fully into the socket, relieving many ofthose concerns. In particular embodiments of the present invention, athickness of 0.020 inches may be achieved by use of particularmaterials, such as, but not limited to, polypropylene and polyethylene.In other particular embodiments, the thickness of 0.020 inches may alsobe accomplished by use of a vacuum used during the material flowprocess. As the vacuum evacuates the air within a mold used to form acover plate, the material forming the cover plate may more easily bedrawn into all cavities of the mold. To maximize the strength of thecovering surface while minimizing the thickness 88, it has been foundthat a thickness between 0.030 inches and 0.055 inches reduces thelikelihood of structural failure while maintaining the ability toachieve sufficient contact of the plug prongs within the socket. Tomaximize the contact made by the plug prongs into the socket, it hasbeen found that a thickness within the range of 0.035-0.045 inchesprovides a substantially maximum contact between the plug prongs and thesocket for a covered socket face while providing adequate strength ofthe covering surface. It will be understood by those of ordinary skillin the art that the ranges of thickness disclosed are for the exemplarypurposes of this disclosure and that the present invention is notlimited to these ranges.

In particular embodiments of the present invention, the thickness 88 maybe accomplished by recessing or reducing the thickness from the backsurface of the cover plate. This enables the front surface of the coverplate to not extend beyond the plane defined in part by the one or morethinned regions of the front surface that extends parallel to the coverplate. This vertical plane sets the boundary for which portions of thecover plate should not extend past, allowing for unobstructed insertionof plug blades into the receptacle through the cover plate. Whileportions of the front face may not extend beyond the vertical plane,they may extend backward. For example, a protrusion may extend from theback surface of the cover plate at the plug blade aperturescorresponding to particular recesses on the socket face. This protrusionthereby provides proper alignment of the apertures, allowing the backsurface of the cover plate to seat properly against the socket face,while maintaining the vertical plane boundary at the thinned frontsurface regions of the cover plate. Protrusions extending from the backsurface may be used so long as the thickness 88 remains less than 0.075inches from the front surface of the cover plate to the foremost portionof the socket face seated against the back surface of the cover plate atthe plug blade apertures of the cover plate.

Referring to FIG. 17 , a section view of the truncated circle shapedrecess 80 is shown with thickness 88. In particular embodiments of thepresent invention radii 90 may used instead of a right angles to achievea small thickness 88 and still maintain the structural and aestheticintegrity of the cover plate. Conventional recesses are formed usingright angle edges, which is harder to manufacture due to insufficientmaterial flow. Additionally, recessed or thinned areas with thicknessesless than 0.075 inches formed using right angle recesses often form awavy or inconsistent surface affecting the aesthetics and structure ofthe cover plate. The use of radii 90 at the corners in particularembodiments of the present invention improves material flow and enablesthe cover plate to have improved structural and aesthetics integrity bysubstantially reducing or eliminating wavy surfaces. The greater theradius of curvature, the better the material flow, but at some point theradius wall will interfere with the socket face. Those of ordinary skillin the art will readily be able to select a radius of curvatureappropriate for matching a back surface of a cover plate with aparticular socket face to optimize material flow without significantlyimpeding the socket face from resting against the back surface of thecover plate.

Cover plates of the present invention may be installed in variousmanners. Conventional outlets have a threaded receiving aperturecentered between the sockets for receiving a screw while other outletshave a pair of receiving apertures placed at opposite ends of thereceptacle in the yoke. The present invention may be made to accommodateany underlying receptacle. If necessary to strengthen the cover plate'ssecuring aperture, a protrusion such as the flange 26, shown surroundingthe securing aperture 24 in FIG. 11 , may project outwardly from thereverse side of the cover plate.

The number of apertures in the cover plate for receiving plug blades isdependent on the number of blades on the plug. Typically, the number andposition of apertures on the cover plate will match the number andposition of apertures on the receptacles, although fewer apertures maybe used on the cover plate to exclude particular apertures in the socketfaces, if desired. Conventional dual receptacle outlets have two sets ofapertures, one set for each socket face. In addition to outlets havingdifferent numbers of apertures, outlets may have varying numbers ofsocket faces. For example, conventional outlets have two socket facesand are known as single-gang outlets. Double-gang outlets are alsocommon. The cover plate of the present invention can be made withcorresponding number and placement of apertures to match and align withthe number of underlying socket faces. Alternatively, cover platescomprising selected aspects of the present invention may be manufacturedto include one or more openings for switches or other electricaldevices, without limitation, in addition to including one or morethinned front surface regions for hiding socket faces.

The cover plates of the present invention typically have outsidedimensions that substantially match a conventional or existing coverplate, but the cover plates herein described may be designed in anydesired size and shape to enhance the appearance of the electricaloutlet.

The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order tobest explain the present invention and its practical application and tothereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use theinvention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat the foregoing description and examples have been presented for thepurposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forthis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit andscope of the forthcoming claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cover plate for an electrical outlet having atleast one socket with an insulative socket face having plug bladeapertures therethrough, the cover plate comprising: a one-piece coverplate having at least one front surface configured to cover at least oneinsulative socket face of an electrical outlet, and a back surfaceregion which contacts the at least one socket face when the cover plateis installed on the electrical outlet; a plurality of plug bladeapertures and at least one securing aperture extending from at least onefront surface region to the back surface region of the cover plate; theat least one front surface region having a thickness between the frontsurface and the back surface region of not more than about 0.075 inches;wherein the at least one front surface region at least partially definesa plane substantially parallel with the cover plate through which thecover plate cannot extend beyond.
 2. The cover plate of claim 1, whereinthe thickness is between about 0.020 inches and about 0.075 inches. 3.The cover plate of claim 1, wherein the thickness is between about 0.030inches and about 0.055 inches.
 4. The cover plate of claim 1, whereinthe thickness is between about 0.035 inches and about 0.045 inches. 5.The cover plate of claim 1, wherein the back surface region issubstantially flat to seat against the at least one insulative socketface.
 6. The cover plate of claim 1, further comprising at least onealignment structure configured to align the plurality of plug bladeapertures of the cover plate with the plug blade apertures of the atleast one insulative socket face.
 7. A cover plate for an electricaloutlet having at least one socket with an insulative socket face havingplug blade apertures therethrough, the cover plate comprising: aone-piece cover plate configured to cover at least one socket face,having a back surface region that contacts the at least one socket facewhen the cover plate is installed on the electrical outlet, and a frontsurface, wherein the back surface region is substantially flat to seatagainst the at least one insulative socket face when the cover plate isinstalled; a plurality of plug blade apertures and at least one securingaperture extending through the one-piece plate; and a front surfaceregion having a thickness between the front surface and the back surfaceregion of not more than 0.075 inches.
 8. The cover plate of claim 7,wherein the thickness is between about 0.020 inches and about 0.075inches.
 9. The cover plate of claim 7, wherein the thickness is betweenabout 0.030 inches and about 0.055 inches.
 10. The cover plate of claim7, wherein the thickness is between about 0.035 inches and about 0.045inches.
 11. The cover plate of claim 7, further comprising a planethrough which the front surface cannot extend beyond, the plane definedin part by the front surface region and extending substantially parallelto the cover plate.
 12. The cover plate of claim 7, further comprisingat least one alignment structure configured to align the plurality ofplug blade apertures of the cover plate with the plug blade apertures ofthe at least one insulative socket face.
 13. A cover plate for anelectrical outlet having at least one socket with an insulative socketface having plug blade apertures therethrough, the cover platecomprising: a one-piece cover plate configured to cover at least oneinsulative socket face, the one piece plate having a front surface and aback surface region, wherein the back surface region is substantiallyflat to seat against the at least one insulative socket face; aplurality of plug blade apertures and at least one securing apertureextending from a front surface region to the back surface region of thecover plate, the cover plate having a thickness between the frontsurface region and the back surface region at the plurality of plugblade apertures of not more than 0.075 inches; and a plane defined inpart by the front surface region and extending substantially parallel tothe cover plate through which the front surface cannot extend beyond.14. The cover plate of claim 13, wherein the thickness is between about0.020 inches and about 0.075 inches.
 15. The cover plate of claim 13,wherein the thickness is between about 0.030 inches and about 0.055inches.
 16. The cover plate of claim 13, wherein the thickness isbetween about 0.035 inches and about 0.045 inches.
 17. The cover plateof claim 13, further comprising at least one alignment structureconfigured to align the plurality of plug blade apertures of the coverplate with the plug blade apertures of the at least one insulativesocket face.
 18. A cover plate for an electrical outlet having at leastone socket with an insulative socket face having plug blade aperturestherethrough, the cover plate comprising: a one-piece cover plate havingat least one front surface configured to cover at least one insulativesocket face of an electrical outlet, and a back surface region whichcontacts the at least one socket face when the cover plate is installedon the electrical outlet a plurality of plug blade apertures and atleast one securing aperture extending from at least one front surfaceregion to the back surface region of the cover plate; the at least onefront surface region having a thickness between the front surface andthe back surface region of between about 0.020 inches and about 0.075inches; wherein the at least one front surface region at least partiallydefines a plane substantially parallel with the cover plate throughwhich the cover plate cannot extend beyond.
 19. The cover plate of claim18, wherein the thickness is not more than 0.040 inches.
 20. The coverplate of claim 18, wherein the back surface region is substantially flatto seat against the at least one insulative socket face.
 21. The coverplate of claim 18, further comprising at least one alignment structureconfigured to align the plurality of plug blade apertures of the coverplate with the plug blade apertures of the at least one insulativesocket face.
 22. A cover plate for an electrical outlet having at leastone socket with an insulative socket face having plug blade aperturestherethrough, the cover plate comprising: a one-piece cover plateconfigured to cover at least one socket face, having a back surfaceregion that contacts the at least one socket face when the cover plateis installed on the electrical outlet, and a front surface, wherein theback surface region is substantially flat to seat against the at leastone insulative socket face when the cover plate is installed; aplurality of plug blade apertures and at least one securing apertureextending through the one-piece plate; and a front surface region havinga thickness between the front surface and the back surface region ofbetween about 0.020 inches and about 0.075 inches.
 23. The cover plateof claim 22, wherein the thickness is not more than 0.040 inches. 24.The cover plate of claim 22, further comprising a plane through whichthe front surface cannot extend beyond, the plane defined in part by thefront surface region and extending substantially parallel to the coverplate.
 25. The cover plate of claim 22, further comprising at least onealignment structure configured to align the plurality of plug bladeapertures of the cover plate with the plug blade apertures of the atleast one insulative socket face.
 26. A cover plate for an electricaloutlet having at least one socket with an insulative socket face havingplug blade apertures therethrough, the cover plate comprising: aone-piece cover plate configured to cover at least one insulative socketface, the one piece plate having a front surface and a back surfaceregion, wherein the back surface region is substantially flat to seatagainst the at least one insulative socket face; a plurality of plugblade apertures and at least one securing aperture extending from afront surface region to the back surface region of the cover plate, thecover plate having a thickness between the front surface region and theback surface region at the plurality of plug blade apertures of betweenabout 0.020 inches and about 0.075 inches; and a plane defined in partby the front surface region and extending substantially parallel to thecover plate through which the front surface cannot extend beyond. 27.The cover plate of claim 26, wherein the thickness is not more than0.040 inches.
 28. The cover plate of claim 26, further comprising atleast one alignment structure configured to align the plurality of plugblade apertures of the cover plate with the plug blade apertures of theat least one insulative socket face.